Knight And Day - Thoughts

I remember seeing the trailer of Knight and Day when it was released, and promptly added it to my, rent and watch the DVD sometime list. It looked like fun with a seemingly competent cast. I wasn’t particularly keeping track of this movie, but noticing it in the video store this weekend, I decided to watch it. In Knight and Day a secret agent is working covertly to protect a young genius and his invention while being hunted by various people and agencies.  Amidst the chaos, double agents, and underground agendas is June, an ordinary girl who gets thrown into the mix and gets involved with the secret agent.

10 to 15 years ago, insanely large production budgets of over 100 million dollars were mostly reserved only for blockbuster action movies. While the action romantic comedy formula isn't new, following in the footsteps of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Knight and Day does very well in the romantic comedy narrative process amidst a storm of bullets. The movie combines elements of thrill, with entertainment, while keeping the action light enough to remain funny. Pace is pretty good, and there aren’t any overly slow or boring moments. A good deal of the scenes and stunts are over the top, contributing to the crazy factor of the movie; keeping things enjoyable throughout. If you’re looking for entertainment, you can’t go wrong with Knight and Day, which serves up both action and romantic comedy.

Normally people think of and talk of serious dramas when stellar performances come to mind. It is rare when excellence is identified and appreciated in comedy movies. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz’s performances in Knight and Day are simply amazing, leaving practically nothing to question or criticize. The energy that they bring to the movie is key in keeping it fun, while the genuine character portrayals help the audience in relating to their roles. Cruise plays Roy Miller who is just too good to be true; you may question his character for a bit, but after that expect to find him nothing short of dreamy. June Heavens played by Diaz is so seemingly everyday and ordinary, but before she knows it, her mix-up with the secret agent transitions from chaos to fondness. Similarly audience attachment is bound to grow as the narrative progresses, culminating in the June Heavens character being super adorable.

After the recent increase in theatre visits, it was back to the reliable formula of sampling a Region 1 US release DVD in the home theatre. Video was consistently good, color stayed vibrant, and picture crisp and clear. No post production color filters or hue’s were used. Being formatted for the big screen, expect the 16:9 version to appear with minimal horizontal letterboxing on a home widescreen TV. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack. Dialog was clear thanks to the center channel delivery, and action sequences were supported well by the overall sound effects. Surround stage usage wasn’t very noticeable, but was probably present and sufficient.

My Recommendation: Watch It (Mad, crazy, secret agent romance)